STATE SEN. Ben Brooks is off base in his refusal to release oil-spill records to a man he calls a “political hack.” If the information meets the Code of Alabama’s definition of a public record, then the senator should turn it over. If he needs a judge to tell him whether or not the information is public, fine — and indeed, Sen. Brooks has asked the Mobile County Circuit Court to do exactly that. But for him to resist the records request because he believes it is “politically motivated” is inappropriate. The issue isn’t why Shelby County attorney John Aaron wants the information, or that Mr. Aaron was an aide to former Gov. Don Siegelman, or that the ex-governor is a Democrat and Sen. Brooks is a Republican. Nor does it matter that, as the senator said of Mr. Aaron, “I don’t know who this guy is, and he won’t tell me who he represents.” People shouldn’t have to pass some sort of litmus test or spell out their motivations in order to exercise their right to view public records. The documents in question pertain to BP-funded projects and contracts in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mr. Aaron reportedly wants to see correspondence with government agencies about possible misuse of money. He also wants to see any complaints about BP’s Vessels of Opportunity program. Ironically, Sen. Brooks has publicly questioned how the city of Bayou La Batre spent some of the BP money it received for oil-spill cleanup projects. Seems like he’d want the sun to shine brightly on any potential wrongdoing. Presumably, a judge will rule soon on the senator’s petition. Meanwhile, here’s the bottom line: Although the millions of dollars worth of recovery money is coming from a private source (BP), it is being funneled through public coffers and distributed by public officials. A thorough public airing of how it’s being spent will help ensure that none of the money is misused.